MGM mascot receives rare honor

LOS ANGELES: Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM) mascot, Leo the Lion, celebrated the studio's 90th anniversary in a paw print ceremony at the TCL Chinese Theatre in Los Angeles.Actor Sylvester Stallone and MGM Chairman Gary Barber were on hand to cheer Leo on."When I was lucky enough to show up with this guy from Philadelphia called Rocky Balboa, and it was born," said Stallone, who rose to fame with the 1976 film "Rocky," which he wrote and starred in. "The character was born under the MGM banner. We may have had the 'Eye of the Tiger' but it was the lion that put us on the map. We made it all happen, really. Congratulations to the man, Gary Barber, who has done an outstanding job of restoring MGM back to its former glory. Today MGM is stronger than ever under his leadership. I just want to say to Gary, 'yo champ, keep punching.'"TCL Chinese Theatre, formerly known as Grauman's Chinese Theatre, has been a top Hollywood tourist destination since 1927, hosting world-class film premieres and housing the hand and footprints of the biggest stars in showbiz in its courtyard from Marilyn Monroe and Elizabeth Taylor to Brad Pitt and Robert De Niro. – Reuters